Compostable but not really …

How good are compostable cups, really?

When they’re good, they’re brilliant. But when they’re lined with plastic that requires an industrial compost facility to break it down – they’re not that great.

The Daintree Ice Cream Company is one of the “things to do” when visiting the Daintree Rainforest. Every trip over the river results in stopping by this magical property to enjoy one of their fine cups of homemade ice cream from home grown tropical fruits. Wattleseed, soursop, mango and black sapote are just some of the awesome combos you may try. There are literally thousands of scoops being enjoyed each week, served in compostable cups, owners Dave & Jenna repeatedly tried to compost the cups themselves, only to discover that compostable isn’t always compostable. Hot and cold containers are lined with PLA – a plant based bio-plastic that is only compostable in an industrial compost facility. This was a heart breaking reality for these environmentally minded Earth warriors. The nearest facility is in Mackay, over 1200kms away. And as it turns out, industrial compost facilities don’t accept PLA lined cups as they stretch their compost time frames from 3 weeks to 4 months. So we’re all going compostable, yet is it just another single use item off to landfill?

Learning of this problem our friends faced, Green Food Australia partnered with Daintree Ice Cream Company to process their cups naturally using the Groundswell® process, patented by VRM Biologik. This process accelerates the decomposition of organic waste by roughly 50 years, in 6 months. Similar to a silaged compost, the pile ferments for 180 days at a controlled temperature of 60 degrees. No turning, no fires.

So here we are, ready to take on this challenge. We’re using the Groundswell® process to break these cups down into HumiSoil® – a form of top soil enhancer – that Daintree Ice Cream Co will be able to use to grow their next seasons tropical fruits. Capturing all that carbon and nutrients, putting them back in the soil where they belong 🌱 Completing the circular economy, isn’t it beautiful ♻️